Embedded and IoT engineer
Learn to program microcontrollers and connected devices in C, from blinking an LED to a networked, updatable device with a small on-device AI model, using AI coding tools from week 1, in 20 weeks.
Coming soon · planned, not written yet
- 20
- weeks planned
- ~35 h
- a week
- 5
- milestone projects
- 1
- project, grown every week
These are planned figures. The weeks are written after we check the tools against current job postings and official documentation, so the final route may differ.
Built for the AI era
How AI fits this roadmap
AI assistants can now draft driver code, build files and test scaffolding, but they get hardware details wrong: pin numbers, timings, register settings and memory limits. So the job moves toward checking what the assistant wrote against the datasheet, a debugger and a logic analyser. This roadmap teaches you to use an assistant every week and to prove its output on real hardware, and in the later weeks you run a small machine learning model on the device itself.
The main project
SensorNode
A battery-minded sensor device that reads real sensors, runs on a real-time operating system, sends data over the network, updates itself safely and runs a small on-device AI model.
What you will be able to do
- 01
Write C firmware for a microcontroller that reads sensors and drives outputs, and review every line an AI assistant drafted against the datasheet.
- 02
Use the SPI, I2C and UART buses, interrupts and timers, and debug them with a debugger and a logic analyser.
- 03
Build a multi-task application on a real-time operating system, with queues and locks, and show it has no race you can find.
- 04
Connect the device to a network and send its readings with MQTT, then add a safe update path and a watchdog.
- 05
Run a small machine learning model on the device and compare its output with the same model on a laptop.
01The route
Five months, one month at a time.
Each month ends in a milestone project, so you always have something to show for the work.
Month 1 · Weeks 1–4
C, hardware basics and AI-assisted work
C for small devices, reading a datasheet, GPIO, timers and your first sensor. You set up an AI coding assistant, learn to prompt it with datasheet facts, and check what it writes on the board.
MilestoneA board that reads a sensor and shows the value, with a log of AI suggestions you accepted, fixed and rejected
Month 2 · Weeks 5–8
Buses, interrupts and debugging
SPI, I2C and UART, interrupts, and finding faults with a debugger and a logic analyser. You use AI to draft drivers, then catch its wrong timings and register settings.
MilestoneTwo sensors and a display working together, with a captured bus trace for each
Month 3 · Weeks 9–12
Real-time operating systems
Tasks, queues, locks and timing with FreeRTOS, then the same design again in Zephyr. You build SensorNode as separate tasks and use AI to review it for races, then confirm each one yourself.
MilestoneSensorNode running as several tasks, with a short written check of its timing and memory use
Month 4 · Weeks 13–16
Networking, updates and reliability
Wi-Fi on an ESP32 board with ESP-IDF, MQTT over TLS, over-the-air updates and watchdogs. You write tests that run without the board and use AI to generate cases you then review.
MilestoneA device that publishes readings over MQTT and updates its own firmware without being unplugged
Month 5 · Weeks 17–20
On-device AI, capstone and job search
Run a small model on the device with LiteRT for Microcontrollers and compare it with the laptop version. Then a portfolio write-up, interview preparation and applications.
MilestoneSensorNode with an on-device model, a portfolio page and a working job-search pipeline
03What is inside
Everything a week comes with.
Every week is built the same way, so once you have done one you know how all of them work.
- 01
One project, SensorNode
You grow one device from a blinking LED to a networked, updatable product with an AI model inside it, so every tool lands in something real.
- 02
A day-by-day plan
Each week has a Learn part and a Do part, with a checklist so you know when you are done. Most weeks include a task to do with an AI assistant and a step to check its work on the board.
- 03
A project in every milestone
Five milestones, each ending in something you can show, photograph and link to.
- 04
Reference topics
Short topic pages with check questions you can come back to.
- 05
A job track
Interview practice, portfolio and resume help, and an application plan.
- 06
Progress in your Study plan
Add weeks to your Study plan, give them dates, and finished days are counted for you.
04Is it for you
Who this is, and is not, for.
Better to know before you start than six weeks in.
It is for you if
- You can write small programs in some language and want to work close to the hardware.
- You are a developer, electronics student or hobbyist moving into embedded work and want to be strong with AI tools.
- You can give about 35 hours a week for five months, and can buy a low-cost development board and a few sensors.
It is not for you if
- You have never written code. Do a beginner programming course first.
- You want a job guarantee. Nobody can promise that, and this roadmap does not.
- You want to design circuit boards or chips. This roadmap is about the software that runs on them.
- You want to paste AI output onto hardware without checking it. This roadmap trains you to check it.
?Questions
Before you start
- Is this roadmap ready?
- Not yet. This is the plan. The weeks are being written and checked against current job postings and official documentation. Leave your email and we will write to you when it opens.
- What will it cost?
- The price is not set. Roadmaps are bought once, with no subscription. We will announce it when this one opens.
- Will the plan change?
- It may. Before the weeks are written we check the tools against current job postings, so the lengths and months here are planned, not final.
- Do I need to buy hardware?
- Yes, a low-cost development board (an ESP32 board is planned) and a few sensors, plus a cheap logic analyser. The exact list will be given with the weeks, so you can keep the cost small.
- Will it get me a job?
- It will give you skills and proof of work. It cannot promise a job on a fixed date, because hiring depends on the market, your location and your past work.
Not open yet
Leave your email and we will write once, when it opens.